Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-03
A VENDETTA.

alone with her only son in poor littl,
hut under the walls If Bonifacio. Tn,
city, built upon an extension Of the noun
tain, seemed actually To be suspended
above the sea, which beat itself agains,
the rocks off the lower coast of Sardinia
At its feet. on the other side. a strait ol
cut in the cliffs, which resembled gigan
tic corridor, brought You after long cir
cult between Two abrupt walls To the frs,
of the houses and to the entrance of the
port. only used 10y the little boats of the
Sartiniau fishermen and the ancient
steamer which piled between this hamlet
and AiacCio.
Against the background OF the somber
mountain the clustering houses seemed
whittier still. and more than ever like the
nests Of savage birds clinging To the rocks
that uverhang this dangerous passage, So
dangerous, indeed, that ships never dared
10 venture il.
A hurricane Of unceasing wind beat
upon this ocean and upon this barren
coast, destitute Of almost blade OF YER
dure, TO engulf itself at last in the mar
row strait and ravage it ON both banks,
the trails Of pale foam raised by its fury
stretching from crest To crest Of the pro-
lecting stones like strips OF linen floating
] lHc VI tuc
water
The house OF the widow Saveripi
perched upon the very edge Of the cliff,
opened lis three windows upon this wild
and desolate scene, and she lived there a.
] tell you all alone with her son Antoine
aid her dog Semillante, huge and
sort of wolf dog, in fact, though used by
{ her Young master in hunting.
One night in a wine house bruil Antoins
Saverini was killed. treacherously stabbed
10 the heart, by Nicholas Ravolati, who
at once He'd TO the thickets'' Of Sardinia
When the old mother received the body
Of her child, brought to her by some Of
the neighbors who had witnessed the
deed, she neither mu,mured, wept nor
raved, but standing b. his side mute and
Inotionless swore TO nvenge him, no mat
ter how, no matter when-but To avcnge
him. Refusing TO allow any one to remain
with her. or to assist her in any way, she
shut herself up with her dead and with
her dog which howled aud howled uu-
ceasingly
Standing at the foot OF the bed, her eyes
fixed upon her master, her tail between
her legs, Semillante remained as immova-
ble as the mother herself, now kneeling
above the body of her son, weeping great
burning tears The poor boy lying upon
hi4 back, white and still in his coarse
lishernan's clothes, would have seemed
- If only asleep but for the bloody rent
ia the breast of his blouse, his shirt wide
open where they had examined his wound
AID the crimson stains upon his face, his
'est. his hands, and even clotted into the
npsleS of his beard and hair
At last his mother began 10 talk to him,
- caress him, 10 whisper in his ear. At
The sound Of her voice the howls Of the
dog were for moment stilled.
You shall be avenged, my little one"
she softly murmureu; you shall be
rvcngeG. my precious child, my handsome
boy. IL is thy mother that promises it
thy mother. and she keeps her word rs
thou knowest well " and rising to her feet
the laid her wIthered lips in u last long
kiss upon the livid ones Of the dead.
Then SCmillante began 10 howl again, to
howl in long and plaintive mOnOtOnes,
distraciing and horrible TO hear. Thus
they remained, the woman and the beast.
until ,hc dawn of morning.
The following day Antoine Saverini was
laid 10 rest and speedily forgotten in
Bonifacio, for he had left behind him
neither father brother, cousin nor relative
10 pursue the vendetta; no one gave .
thought TO the mother-shs was woman,
end too old Gnd feeble
On the other side of the strait, off in
the distance, the widow Saverini saw
from morning till night q white point
rising from the coast. II was the little
Sardinian village of IOngosardo, where
the Corsican bandits, when tracked too
closely by the emissaries of the govern
inent, Were in the habit of seeking refuge
They alone peopied this hamlet, facing the
coast Of their native country, and there
cwaited the moment Of return-return to
their former life and to the hiding places
III the thickets IL was in this Longo-
sardo, she was sure Of it, that Nicolas
Rlvolnti had himself sought safety
All alone. sitting at her window, she
gazed at that distant village and dreamed
If the vengeance TO come But how
could she accomplish it by herself as she
was. and so infirm and near unto death,
Still she had promised it, had sworn it
oven. above the corpse Of her son. She
could hot forget that, and could not wait
nor rest day or night, obstinately seeking
for means to pay this debt.
The dog sleeping ct her feet had for
c-ottcn as little as the mother, and would
sometimes lift her head and break into a
mournful wailing. Since he- masters
death she had frequently howisi thus, as
IL she called 10 him, and guar!ed in her
brute soul memory that nothing could
cfiacC.
Suddenly one night, as Semilial:e began
her usual lament, her mistress WAS seized
with an inspiration, savage, rtndiCtiNe,
ferOcious inspiration. She medita,et. Upon
1t all night, and in the morning took her
way 10 the village church. There sht
prayed PROSTATE upon the stOLes, begged
down before her God, supplicatinG Hin.
To aid and To sustain her and TO give to
her feeble and worn out body the strength
she needed to avenge her son. After
this, with tranquil heart, she returned
home
In her yard was ali old headiess barre;
used as a receptacle for the water that
ran from the cutters She smptied It,
upset il, fastened it TO the earth with
sticks and stones, and then. claiming
Semillante securely in the center of il,
returned 10 her chamber and to her sleep
less vigil by the window, her eyes always
fixed upon the coast Of Sardinia; he was
over there-he, the assassin!
All thdt day ana ali tnat Nlgnt L. dog
continued Ia howl. In the morning the
old woman carried her bow. oil water.
but nothing else-not a morsei cf tread.
not drop Of soup, not a piece CT aeon.
The hours crawled on; night ea:%s gain.
and soemillante, stretching herself ont.
slept The day after, howeves. sis Had
burning ewes. n hriStling skin, and wildly
pulled upon her chain. The old woman
still cave, her nothing 10 eat. The beast Vas
furious. and n.oaned continually in low,
haarse tones Thus the night passed
again
At peep of day Mother Saverini betook
herself TO the house Of a neighbor, beg
cing from him some bundles of straw,
which she carried 10 her home, and with
il stuffed a suit Of clothes that had be
lungcd 10 her husband until it bore the
semblancc of human being. Fastening
this mauikin Ia a stake driven into the
ground in front Of Semillante's 5 kennel, she
formed head upon it with block OF
,,-....l ,,l InpIla ~ old linen and stood